The Tax Man

From the moment we wake up we are taxed.

Let's start the day. You wake up on a bed, sheets, and a pillow that have all been taxed. Is your air conditioning or heat on? Taxed. You go to take a shower. The water is taxed. Then you grab your toothpaste and toothbrush to brush your teeth. Taxed. You get dressed. Your underwear, pants, shirts, socks, shoes, all taxed. The deodorant, lotion, hair gel, hair dryer, brush, all taxed. You go to eat breakfast. Your cereal and the bowl and spoon you are eating it with, all taxed. You climb into your car, which was taxed, including the license plate and inspection sticker and insurance. You drive to get gas, which is taxed and you grab a cup of coffee, which is also taxed.

I could go on all day, but I think you get my point and it isn't even 8:00 in the morning yet.

I remember the first time I was affected by taxes. I was 23 or 24 and although I had worked and been disturbed by the taxes taken out of my paycheck, like most Americans, I just accepted it. But this time my husband was getting a bonus check for the first time at Christmas. We had no furniture and I had carefully calculated what we needed, shopped for bargains, and was ready to go. Then we got the check. I remember staring at it. In my mind I had known it would be taxed, but what was left was a little over half of what the check was for. Almost half had been taken. I couldn't get the furniture we needed. At first I cried and then I got mad. I vowed I would never vote for anyone who didn't promise to lower taxes and I never have.

Which brings me to McCain. McCain has promised to send Congress a reform to increase exemptions, with the goal of doubling it from 3,500 to 7,000 dollars for every dependent in every family in America. McCain has promised to ELIMINATE the alternative minimum tax entirely. He has promised to send to Congress a middle class tax cut that will save hardworking families more than 2,000 dollars a year. For small businesses he has promised to send to Congress a proposal to cut the taxes employers pay from a rate of 35 to 25 percent. He has promised to change the student loan program to make college more affordable.

How will he pay for it? He will freeze non-military and veteran discretionary spending and review the budgets of every federal program, department, and agency (long overdue!). McCain says that that alone will save $100 billion a year. He has promised to reform Medicare RX drug benefit by charging more to wealthier patients.

McCain will form a Bipartisan commission on reforming social security and medicare and says all options including privatization are on the table. McCain will not let the Bush tax cuts expire as Obama will. If what Obama wants happens it would amount to the biggest tax hike since the Great Depression.

Pork barrel spending is and has been out of control for as long as I can remember. The Democrats have it down to a fine art, but the Republicans of late should be ashamed of themselves in that regard as well. It it time for it to end. No one is more qualified to lead that revolt than McCain. He has fought against pork barrel spending his entire career and has never received one dime of pork barrel spending himself for his state. ZERO. So if you, as a taxpayer, want to keep funding things like the study of cow farts and bridges to no where and be taxed more to pay for it, then vote for Obama.

Most politicians will promise you tax cuts or something like it to get elected, but with McCain you know he means it.

McCain says he will make those who abuse our tax dollars famous. He will make their names public. He will use the veto pen. I believe him, don't you?

To the Democrats, the government is the answer to many of our problems. But in reality, it is the root of many of our problems. We have politicians on both sides who only care about self-interest and power. Increasing the power of the government over our lives gives them more power. It's time for us to stop this. Because when has the government EVER increased the quality and reduced the cost of anything? Never.

The tax man will never go away. But he should be a much much smaller part of our lives and the government should stop wasting on our tax dollars.

I've blogged about McCain for 2 years. Unlike many fellow Republicans who were mad at McCain over issues such as immigration and campaign finance reform, I wasn't. I have long admired this man for many many reasons. It's time for me to remind you of why.

This is just the beginning.